Facts

Discing is better than mowing if the soil can be
churned to bury most of the vegetation. It is not always possible to
disc, especially after it has become hot and dry. Cutting or mowing is
still an improvement since by laying down the weeds a fire cannot
breathe very well, will spread more slowly, and is easier to control.

By mid-summer, the most common reason that a
property remains unabated is that the listed property owner for various
reasons is not available (does not receive mail, is not local, deceased,
institutionalized, bankrupt, etc..) . Taxes are often in default on
such properties.

Alleys in Merced County are not rights of way
and are not maintained by the County. If an alley in Merced County has
any legal standing at all it is an easement for utilities. Property
owners with property adjacent to alleys own the alley that is contiguous
to their property up to the center line, and are responsible for
maintenance, including weed abatement.

The Prevention Bureau inspects for weeds in the
County areas immediately surrounding the southern part of the City of
Merced and the Franklin / Beachwood area. The Prevention Bureau is very
unlikely to know anything in particular about weeds on your property if
it is in another area. There are 18 other County Fire Stations
that send in weed abatement reports to the Prevention Bureau. These 18
stations have personnel on rotating shifts, so if you have any questions
that are specific to your property, please contact the local fire
station with the phone number on the post card or letter. Your
cooperation is appreciated.

It is not always the case that an entire parcel
must be abated. Parcels are required to be abated for a distance of 30'
around property lines and significant buildings, so a large lot could
have a significant area that falls outside these perimeters. In unusual
cases of extreme fire hazard or special circumstances a 100' perimeter
may be required by the Fire Marshal.